No Invitation Required

by Heather Johnson

In the world of church outreach, what is an invitable event? Well, according to churches themselves, it can be any number of things. But a recent poll of church leaders conducted by Outreach Comedy [sister division of Outreach magazine] indicates that the majority of congregations (75%) host Christian music concerts as outreach events. And next in line—42% of respondents said they host a Christian drama or acting group as an outreach event.

While these types of events can be and have been places of connection for someone who doesn’t yet know Christ, events of this nature essentially ask the community to come to your church rather than bringing church to your community. And the hard truth is that it’s highly unlikely non-Christians will be inclined to spend their Friday night listening to a Christian music artist they’ve never heard of, or an unfamiliar, second- or third-rate acting troupe.

For many churches, the invitable event has turned into gathering seasoned members into the church at a time, and for a reason, other than Sunday morning services.

Outreach Comedy’s poll validated what many disheartened church leaders suspect: All the time and money put into hosting events often yield no impact. Almost half of the respondents (47.3%) said they had seen “no measured increase“ in church attendance as a result of their outreach event. We’ll venture a guess here to say that’s probably because a) most of the people at the event are from the church or b) if they’re not from the church, they’re part of another nearby congregation and when Sunday morning rolls around, they’re worshipping in their regular pew.

But what if churches in every community across the country asked themselves, “What do the people in our area like to do? What are their needs?“ What if churches tapped into the hobbies, interests and concerns of their neighborhoods and hosted events so intriguing and attractive that they didn’t even have to invite their community—instead, their neighbors would ask them if they could come!

It’s possible, and in fact, it’s easy. Here’s your step-by-step guide to six fresh, proven and cost-effective events that any church, big or small, urban or rural, can host for its community—no invitation required.

Run/Walk a 5K

When First Baptist Church in Oviedo, Fla., (FBCO; fbcoviedo.org) began to brainstorm about an event its community would run after, the choice of a 5K race/walk was easy. FBCO’s first race drummed up so much attention and participation that the church has made it an annual event for the last three years. Last year’s 5K drew 600 runners and walkers—only 20 were church members.

“The most exciting thing about this is that even a small church with no sports facility or ministry can put this on and be seen in their neighborhood,“ says David Erdmann, FBCO’s minister of sports and recreation. The event has introduced and drawn many race participants to the church’s weekend services, Erdmann says. “As an annual 5K, it’s become a community-wide thing and really given our church a very good presence. We’re reaching people who may not have have been reached any other way.“ He identifies five key steps to hosting a successful 5K:

• Advertise. Treat your event as any other secular-sponsored 5K. Market it where other 5Ks are marketed. Often runners receive packets or fliers after local community runs alerting them to upcoming races and events in the area—be sure yours is included.

• Be legitimate. The first year FBCO hosted a run, the church contacted a local athletics store for help. The store helped create a registration form, as well as an online form, and also advised FBCO’s volunteers on how to clock participants. Recognize the store you partner with in the same way you promote your sponsors. Also, enlist active runners and walkers in your church to lend their expertise.

• Secure congregation buy-in. This is critical. Ask members’ businesses to sponsor the event in exchange for printing the companies’ names and logos on banners and pre-event fliers, as well as the backs of T-shirts participants receive the day of the event. Enlist members to volunteer in different areas: publicity, marketing, set-up, signage, registration tables, food and water bottles, traffic directing, mingling and clean- up. FBCO recruits about 100 volunteers for race day.

• Map out and secure a course in the area surrounding your church; make sure city officials approve the course. Also, contact your local police station to block off portions of roads if necessary. Two police bikes lead FBCO’s 5K, and two follow the participants, along with an EMT vehicle.

• Stay community-focused. Select a local organization, such as a food bank or cancer association, to benefit from the proceeds. FBCO benefits the church’s community sports program.

Drive a Classic Car Show

Providing a free classic car show may be “classic“ for your community. For those involved in cars, the hobby becomes a family affair. That’s what Salem Avenue Baptist (salemavebaptistchurch.org) in Rolla, Mo., continues to see at its annual car show, which stresses showing, not winning.

For six years, the 350-member church has hosted the event knowing that its community is filled with “motorheads“ and “rodders.“ Last year, the show drew nearly 1,200 people, about half of who were unchurched, says Pastor Kevin Payne. The event usually runs on a Saturday afternoon, from around 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The main purpose is to get people on the church grounds and expose them to the Gospel message, and perhaps make some connection with them,“ Payne says. “Our church people work hard at talking to all guests, and establishing relationships with them. And our efforts have created a lot of good feelings toward our church, even bringing people back on Sundays.“ Payne identifies the essentials of a smooth ride:

• Offer a broad spectrum of categories. Salem Avenue Baptist’s show includes multiple categories: cars, trucks, motorcycles and even plastic model cars. From there, those groups can be broken down into years, automakers and unfinished—customized based on your community’s interests.

• Let people know. Start advertising your show three to four weeks in advance, as well as the week of the event. Use your local newspapers and radio stations. Also, Web sites such as carshownews.com and autoswalk.com allow you to list your show.

• Recruit volunteers. Most likely, you’ll need about 60 to 80 volunteers depending on your show’s size. Their main job should be to mingle. To facilitate small talk, provide picnic tables and chairs where people can relax, socialize and eat. Salem’s youth sell food and drinks at concession stands spread throughout the car displays. Also assign a clean-up crew.

• Plan for space issues. You’ll needs lots of space. Use your church grounds or parking lot to display cars. If you have a gymnasium, display motorcycles or plastic models there. Parking can be tricky if you’re using the church parking lot for display space. Alert neighbors to the event and the potential increase in street parking.

• Secure a good sound system. This is key. Play Christian or ‘50s music throughout the day to keep the atmosphere upbeat. And use the sound system to announce the contests and winners of various categories selected by participants and spectators.

Crop a Scrapbook

In the last few years, the trend of scrapbooking has exploded. Across the country, women are finding creative ways to turn their memories and photos into lasting impressions. Introduce women in your community to your church via a scrapbooking event. Your church can host a two- to three-hour session on a Saturday morning when husbands are generally home to watch the kids.

Depending on group interest, a scrapbooking crop can easily turn into a monthly ministry and fellowship complete with coffee and breakfast on Saturday mornings. Moms will love the hands-on craft as well as the time to come together with other women.

Liz Duffy, founder of faith-based Scrapbook Your Life (scrapbookyourlife.com) and leader of many crops—the term those in the industry use to refer to scrapbooking events—notes the key elements of a crop:

• Go seasonal. For example, at summer’s end consider hosting a summer vacation scrapbooking event. Think about the local family attractions near you (amusement parks, campsites, museums), and host an event to scrapbook excursions that many families will have photos for. Holidays like Christmas, Easter and Halloween offer good themes for scrapbooking, as well. Crops can also be based on seasons.

• No experience necessary. As you advertise your event in local papers, grocery stores, preschools, hair salons and gyms (or anywhere women in your community frequent), make it clear that the event is open to both experienced scrapbookers and “newbies“ who’ve never done it before. Chances are you have members in your church involved in scrapbooking. Check to see if they’re willing to lead or help lead the event.

“An event like this is actually a great way for women to interact,“ Duffy says. “The experienced scrapbookers can share ideas and make suggestions, working with those who have never scrapbooked before.“

• Gather supplies in advance. Supply paper, cutters, scissors, stickers and pens. Colors and styles will depend on the theme selected.

• Check your local supplier. Duffy suggests churches contact a local craft store, such as Michaels or Archiver’s, to let them know you’re planning a scrapbooking event for the community. Often, stores will host the event for you at a discounted price, eliminating the need for gathering supplies. It also moves your event out into the community rather than staying inside the church.

Laugh With a Comedian

Laughing does a body good, and it can do your church body good too, as Grace Brethren Church of Lititz, in Pa., (1gbc.org) has discovered. The church, which averages 1,000 attendees weekly, has held comedy events for three years and has seen many families come to Grace Brethren as a result. Sheri Sell, who helps lead outreach events at Grace Brethren, has learned that there are several key characteristics of a comedy event that attracts both the churched and the unchurched crowd. • Plan ahead. You will need about six months’ lead time to execute a worthwhile event. That window includes researching and booking one or more comedians, buying advertising, writing and distributing press releases and securing media interviews.

• Push the universality. “Comedy nights appeal to everyone and all age groups,“ says Sell. “It’s not a hard sell. In fact, it’s not even a sell.“ A good comedian can bridge cultural and racial gaps as well. So, as you advertise, encourage everyone.

• Budget to make it free. Grace Brethren usually hosts two free comedy nights a year. “So many families, especially those with four or five people, can’t go out together without blowing a lot of money,“ explains Sell. “Movies, going out to eat, you name it—it’s all expensive.“ But they can all come to Grace Brethren for a free, family-friendly comedy event.

• Go non-churchy. Choose a comedian whose jokes are clean and family-oriented. You don’t necessarily need a Christian shtick. Many of the comedians provided through Outreach Comedy (outreachcomedy.com; sister division to Outreach magazine) have performed in secular venues and on high-profile tv programs such as “The Late Show With David Letterman“ or the “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno“—accolades that often give a comedian and your event credibility and draw. “We’ve found that going for non-churchy comedians attracts the community,“ says Sell.

• Recruit volunteers. You’ll need around 50 volunteers who can help direct parking, if necessary, provide transportation for a comedian and pass out connection cards at the end of the evening. You’ll also need volunteers on the back-end to follow up with phone calls, e-mails or letters. Ask audience members to fill out a survey. Grace Brethren asks several questions:

• Do you regularly attend church?
• Do you have a special need, such as counseling?
• Would you like us to follow up and provide you more information about the church? And if so, how?

Inspire Global Action

With the growing impact of globalization and tragedies such as the recent tsunami, the time is right for your church to be on the leading edge of world compassion. Often people want to help on a global level, but are not sure where to plug in. Your church can make the connection with a fun, educational and provocative event. Relief agencies offer resources for specific events such as World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine or Oxfam’s Hunger Banquet.

Here’s a version of our own for you to consider—Global Awareness Night:

• Advertise attractively. Along with ads in your local paper, place posters and fliers at grocery stores, gyms, dry cleaners, etc. Promote an evening that includes dinner, awareness and action regarding global issues. The two-hour event should be held at a location—with a kitchen—other than your church. An area community center can work well.

• Make the point. The main premise of the event is to educate people about the needs of the world’s poor and to highlight the startling disparity between the global “haves“ and “have nots.“ Seeing America’s dominance as a world consumer will move participants to take responsibility.

• Get the numbers. Have people sign up with your church ahead of time in order to plan the meal. Enlist volunteers to cook, serve and clean up. Sign up others to research information about countries, poverty statistics and specifically the percentage of that country’s consumption of the world’s resources. Prepare an individual country for each attendee.

• Engage with exhibits. As people arrive, assign them a country that they will represent that night. Then allow them to visit booths exhibiting various global issues. One booth can focus on the impact and importance of clean water. Other booths might focus on AIDS, orphans, average income, etc.

• Serve dinner. As people sit down, encourage them to introduce themselves; use an icebreaker such as, “Share any experiences you’ve had visiting other parts of the world.“

While dinner is served, explain that the amounts of food correspond to countries’ daily food consumption. For example, those representing Third-world countries receive a tiny portion of rice while those assigned to the United States recieve an exorbitant amount of food.

The real impact comes at the meal’s end, as people living in affluent countries throw away their food while those in the poorer countries watch.

• Present the opportunity. End the night with a message that challenges attendees to put their compassion into action. Offer one or two ideas, preferably one that is monetary and one that isn’t. Provide resource information for those wanting to connect further.

Celebrate the 4th

First Assembly of God in Normal, Ill. (1agbn.org), celebrates summer, the country’s birthday and Jesus all in one 4th of July extravaganza. For the past two years, the church has hosted Firefall, a patriotic car- nival complete with fireworks, drawing 20,000 the first year and 35,000 the second. You can scale down the event to fit your community, but Terri Shandrow, Firefall’s assistant coordinator, says the fun-filled day would not be possible without a number of factors:

• Let it be known. First Assembly partnered with a local radio and TV station, which pro- moted Firefall. Billboards, yard signs and local movie theater commercials also advertised the church’s event.

Scaling down: Place ads in your local newspapers, and provide members fliers to hand out in their neighborhoods. Ask permission to place a stack of fliers or post- cards in local businesses such as drycleaners, doctor’s offices and restaurants.

• Select a strategic venue. First Assembly holds its six-hour, carnival-like event at the community’s Interstate Center, home to the county fairgrounds. Then, local businesses partic-ipate; a skateboarding company sets up a skatepark, and a pyrotechnic company provides a 45-minute fireworks display.

Scaling down: Host your event at a local park with a good view of a nearby fireworks display. Games can include pick-up basketball, fun relay races and volleyball. Other activities: Try hosting a chili cook-off, a bake-off or a pie-eating contest.

• Engage your members. First Assembly enlists more than 200 volunteers, who manage everything from prep work and concession stands to stage crew and clean-up. Even the children’s choir provides a short concert of both Christian and festive, U.S.-honoring songs.

Scaling down: Enlist volunteers who are willing to grill (call them grill masters), bring food, lead music and organize games and activities.

• Honor the community. Offer a tribute to veterans. At Firefall, an entourage of Harley-Davidson motorcyclists rides through Normal, Ill., waving flags and honking their horns to honor veterans.

Scaling down: Invite veterans and make a special presentation, thanking them for their heroism. Ask your praise team or choir to lead the crowd in a few patriotic songs and present each hero with a Bible.

For the complete article with photos as well as many more inspirational outreach stories, ideas and resources click here to order your NO RISK subscription to Outreach.

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